Tragedy Led To Balance
by Josephine Falnor
Summary: Iroh's thoughts on the death of his son, what he taught his nephew, and how that led to the end of the war between the four nations. One-shot. Iroh's point of view.


_**Author's Note: This is just a short one-shot I wrote the other night. I've been watching a lot of Avatar: The Last Airbender lately, hence the inspiration for this fic. It's my first time writing for this series, and I hope I do it justice! Iroh is my very favorite character (with Zuko coming in a close second,) so episodes and storylines involving a lot of him are great.**_

_**Anyways, I hope this isn't awful, and thanks for putting up with my series experimentation. ^_^ If you have time, please review! I'd love to know what you all think of this story.**_

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The only regret I have about how I raised my son, Lu Ten, was in how I taught him to regard the other nations. He was taught to fight strongly for our homeland, and to never hold back. I told him the lie that our entire nation believed; that we were far better than any of the other nations, and that our people were meant to lead everyone else. It wasn't until after his death that I came to understand the importance of the other three nations, and how we all are of equal importance.

I was in the second year of my siege on the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se when I learned of my son's death. The news devastated me beyond anything else, to the point of giving up my attack of Ba Sing Se. I went into seclusion for a long time, thinking about the loss of my beloved son, Lu Ten.

It was during those years that I began a spiritual reflection, which led me to realize something; I was no different from anyone in the other nations. We all felt strongly for the ones we loved, and, because of the war, many of us had lost at least one person close to us. I knew that I was not the first. We also felt the same love for our homelands, and I realized it was wrong to try and force them to accept the Fire Nation as the better nation.

After coming to that understanding, I knew I could no longer keep my place as a general, giving the orders that would lead my own troops, as well as the troops belonging to the other nations to their deaths. I no longer wished to fight the other nations. I only desired to understand them better, to see how we all had a place in the world.

Of course, my father, Azulon, and my younger brother, Ozai, did not appreciate this decision of mine, and, while I was not banished from my homeland, I was forever dishonored by them for what they thought was weakness. I also discovered later that my rightful place as the next Fire Lord had been given to my brother as well, since I no longer seemed fit to lead our nation.

They did not understand that my decision to no longer fight took more strength than any of the decisions I made as a general. Of course, that was to be expected. My father and brother shared many qualities, including their ability to be cold and calculating. I always felt more emotion than either of them, and so I was not surprised to hear they regarded me as having no sense of honor. I did not even try to tell them that honor was not a matter of cold conquering.

I wish that I had known this before Lu Ten's death. He was full of love and life, and I feel that he would have understood the importance of understanding the other nations, and remembering that they are people with lives and families, just as we are; that not everything should be solved with war. He could have learned from my experiences, and I know he would have used that knowledge wisely.

My reasons for leaving the Fire Nation to go with my nephew was to make certain that someone would teach him what took me so long to understand; something which his father felt was dishonorable, and without value. Of course, Zuko was very set on capturing the Avatar, so his father would restore his honor. He was stubborn, and did not want to listen to me.

It took a long time, and my nephew lost his way on several occasions, but in the end, I succeeded in teaching him the importance of understanding the Air, Water, and Earth nations, as well as our own. I am very grateful that he listened to me. When he left to assist the Avatar in stopping my brother from ending the war, and taking over the world, I couldn't have been more proud of him.

In the end, Zuko was the one who needed to learn the lesson I had to teach; not Lu Ten. Had Lu Ten lived, I would have finished my siege, and conquered Ba Sing Se. With the great Earth Kingdom stronghold in the hands of the Fire Nation, my father would have completed the task set by Sozen of conquering the entire world. When I lost my son, it forced me to rethink the decisions I was making, so I could change the course of my actions. With that came the knowledge that I passed on to my nephew. I love Lu Ten dearly, but I cannot deny that his death helped to stop this war. I wish there had been another way, but I can't allow myself to dwell on that.

Even so, I was able to help Zuko, and he helped save the four nations. He finally was able to take his place as the Fire Lord, and can restore our nation's reputation by ruling as a kind and fair leader; the first the Fire Nation has had in several generations. After everything he has learned these past few years, I know without a doubt that he is ready to rule our homeland, and give balance back to all the nations of the world.


End file.
